Lunar Staff
The Lunar Staff made it's debut when it was added to Ryu Hayabusa's arsenal in the Hurricane Pack download for Ninja Gaiden. It is the only other weapon besides the Tonfas and weighted part of the kusarigama that crushes and pulverizes enemies instead of slicing and cutting. *In Ninja Gaiden I it is found during Chapter 1 inside the chest of the second room after the long hallway with the Samurai Statue in the Ninja Fortress. *In Ninja Gaiden Sigma it is located early on in Chapter 4, originally seen behind an immovable metal gate, but obtained by circling around behind the gate and collecting it from a pot. *In Ninja Gaiden II the Lunar Staff is located halfway through Chapter 1, near the high platform where you fight many Ninjas and the Buddha Statue in Sigma 2. After defeating them the large door there will open, and inside will be the Lunar Staff gripped in the hands of the Mercury Statue. Appearance Consisting of a staff made from a willow tree that is said to be tied to the moon and a pair of metal tips on each end. In Ninja Gaiden it started off as a wooden staff with flat metal end caps on both ends. Upon upgrading the metal caps became pointed spearheads similar to a halberd and the wooden staff became encased in steel. In Ninja Gaiden II the Lunar Staff starts out as the fully upgraded staff from Ninja Gaiden I, it is then upgraded further with the staff becoming thicker and the pointed ends becoming heavy spiked maces connected to the ends of the staff by a retractable chain. History Quoted directly from Ninja Gaiden 2: The Lunar Staff is an Asian style quarterstaff that is said to harbor the mystic powers of the moon. When the moon enters the full or new phases, the density of the staff’s shaft increases, and it becomes slightly heavier as a result. The shaft of the weapon is made from a strong piece of willow, treated with special oils and waxes to make it an exceptionally tough material. Animal tendons are wrapped around the shaft, and a layer of bone glue holds them in place. Finally, an outer shell of steel encases the entire shaft. The points on both ends of the staff are made from an alloy of high relative weight that contains iridium derived from meteorites. Muramasa insists that the animal connective tissue used to bind the staff is the Achilles’ tendons of a qilin, which is a mythical creature known throughout the cultures of East Asia. Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths *Well Rounded *High Range *Crowd Control *High Stun Weaknesses *Medium Strength *Medium-Low Speed Moves List Ninja Gaiden I Normal *Raven Strike: X, X, X *Dragon's Claw (LVL2): X, X, X, Y *Raven Light: X, X, Y *Twilight: X, Y *Infinite Fury (LVL2): X, Y, Y *Arc of the Moon: Y *Soul of the Crescent: Hold Y *Shrouded Crescent: Hold Y (Essence Technique) *Raven's Veil: Hold Y (Ultimate Technique) *Lion's Rage: Forward + X *Lion's Rage (LVL2): Forward + X, X *Lion's Rage (LVL3): Forward + X, X, X *Black Widow: Foward + X, Y *Black Widow (LVL2): Foward + X, X, Y *Black Widow (LVL3): Foward + X, X, X, Y *Crescent Strike: Forward + Y *Full Moon Strike (LVL3): Forward + Y, Y *Lunar Explosion (LVL3): Forward + Y, Y, Y *Purgatory's Rivet: While running X *Twin Serpent Strike: While running Y *Concealed Thrust (Scroll): While Blocking X or Y *Raven Stream (LVL3): Spin control stick 360 Y *Nirmanakaya: Y Next to a downed enemy While Airborne *Tempest: X *Izuna Drop (Throw): X, Y *Phantom Moon: Y *Guillotine Throw: X + A while jumping just over a human size enemy *Gibbous: During Flying Bird Flip X or Y Aquatic *Aqua Thrust: Floating at water surface X or Y *Water Formation Kick: While underwater X or Y Ninja Gaiden II Normal *Dragon's Fang Spin: X, X, X, X *Dragon's Talon Spin (LVL2): X, X, X, Y *Gleaming Shadow: X, X, Y *Infinity Thrust: X, Forward + X, X *Yin-Yang Thrust (LVL2): X, Forward + X, X, X *Amitabha Thrust (LVL3): X, Forward + X, X, X, X *Absolute Darkness (LVL2): X, Forward + X, Y, X *Izuna Drop (Throw)(LVL2): X, Forward + X, Y, X, Y *Sun and Moon (LVL2): X, Forward + X, Y, Y *Molten Rock (LVL3): X, Y, X, X, X *Strange Soul (LVL3): X, Y, Y, Y, Y *Bolted Gate: Forward + X, X *Charging Lion (LVL2): Forward + X, X, X *Fierce Lion: Y *Bladed Spider (LVL3): Y, Y, Y, Y, Y *Bladed Spider (LVL2): Y, Forward + Y *Bladed Spider (LVL3): Y, Y, Forward + Y *Bladed Spider (LVL3): Y, Y, Y, Forward + Y *Remnant Blossems: Hold Y *Eight Destructions: Hold Y (Essence Technique) *Dance of Flame: Hold Y (Ultimate Technique) *Waning Moon: Forward + Y *First Wind (LVL2): Forward + Y, Y, X *Izuna Drop (Throw)(LVL2): Forward + Y, Y, X, Y *Moonlit Shadow (LVL2): Forward + Y, Y, Y *Vanishing Mist: While Running X, X *Twin Serpent Staff: While Running Y *Destruction Spin (LVL3): Spin control stick 360, Y *Waning Evil (LVL2): Spin control stick 360, hold Y *Hazy Shadow (LVL2): Spin control stick 360, hold Y (Essence Technique) *Heavenly Shadow (LVL2): Spin control stick 360, hold Y (Ultimate Technique) *Izuna Drop (Throw)(LVL2): Spin control stick 360, hold Y, Y (Ultimate Technique) *Mirror Reflection: While Blocking X *Gate of Betrayal (LVL2): While Blocking X, X *Quivering Moon (LVL2): While Blocking Y *Furious Moon (LVL2): While Blocking Y, Y, Y, X *Izuna Drop (Throw)(LVL2): While Blocking Y, Y, Y, X, Y *Moon of the Soul (LVL2): Y, Y, Y, Y *Slain Demon: Y Next to a downed enemy While Airborne *First Wind: X *Wind of Dawn (LVL2): X, X *Izuna Drop (Throw)(LVL2): X, X, Y *Phantom Moon: Y *Flashing Current (LVL2): On landing + X *Guillotine Throw (Throw): A+X while just jumping over a human size enemy *Sixteen Nights: During Flying Bird Flip X or Y On Wall *Single Horn: While wall running X *Stone of Sin (LVL2): While wall running X, X *Sixteen Nights: While wall running Y *Single Horn: X *Stone of Sin (LVL2): X, X *Sixteen Nights: Y Aquatic *Fallen Moon: While running on water X, Y *Raven Thrust: While running on water Y *Hazy Moon: Floating at water surface X *Ivory Moon: Floating at water surface Y *Crystal Surface: While underwater X *Lion's Storm: While underwater Y Stats *'Strength': Medium *'Speed': Medium-High *'Range': High Tips It doesn't do a massive amount of damage, but it has a larger range than any other weapon(excluding the Kusarigama) and is perfect for combination attacks. It is particularly effective against groups of Bats, phantom fish, etc. The style in which Ryu uses it is similar to that of Bojutsu. Also has one of the best Ultimate Technique attacks in Ninja Gaiden II, allowing a complete 360° kill-spin at the end of the attack. This is particularly useful against groups of ninjas, as it easily leads to numerous instant-kills for large sums of yellow essence. Hint: Charge up the Lunar Staff's Ultimate Technique fully, and unleash it on a large group of ninjas for quick cash. If done correctly, you should receive $2000-$4000 per group. Trivia * When the Lunar Staff is at Level 3 in Ninja Gaiden II, there are spiked weights chained to the staff's edges. Whenever the Ryu spins the staff 360 degrees, after the attack, the two weights spin very quickly. Category:Weapons